Victory Demo days

[Captain Morgan]

My write up isn't going to be anywhere near as in-depth as Gas Man's HD demo write up as I was just looking for things specific to what I need, but figured I'd post a few brief thoughts.

First of all, I went down to Bloomington (about an hour away) with my brother yesterday to pick up his buell XB12R, as he'd had new tires put on it, as well as had the 5k mile service done. He'd had quite a bit to drink the night before so asked if I wanted to ride his bike back home. Well, duh! So, I hopped on it and man, that thing is a lot of fun. Mirrors are basically pointless on the bike due to all the vibration, though.

Here's a pic of Brad on his Buell at the track

I wanted to ride the Victory line up because I'm planning to buy one, but want to make sure they'll fit my needs. I'll be making field calls for work and will be using the bike when the weather permits. I need the ability to lock up case files, so the bike will have to be fitted with locking saddle bags. Also, some of my field calls may take me onto dirt roads, so I need a bike that will handle ok on those types of roads. Also, I will sometimes have a passenger (not for work, but just for fun) so the bike needs to be comfortable for her. I rode the bikes with these thoughts in mind.

Anyway, we rode straight back to town and directly to the Victory dealership. First bike I hopped on was the Vegas. It took me a bit to get use to the seating position coming straight off the Buell, but the Vegas is a very comfortable bike. However, I have very specific needs and don't think the Vegas will work very well for me. If I were just going to be cruising around town with some highway stints, I'd have the Vegas in a heartbeat, with the modification of raising the bike a bit. It sits very low and I dragged peg on a turn, which I wasn't really fond of doing. Also, the Vegas has a very tall, narrow front tire, which I'm worried won't handle very well on the dirt roads. And lastly, the Vegas looks like shit with saddle bags. All that said, it would be a fun bike for easy cruising.

Vegas pic

Next, I rode the Hammer Sport. This bike was a fun ride, although the wider seat was a bit more uncomfortable. The bike has a fat rear tire and didn't like to turn worth a damn, which I didn't like and certainly was not ready for after coming off the Buell and Vegas. The bike had a lot of power and was a blast to ride, but since it won't support bags, it won't work for me.

Hammer sport pic

Next up, I rode the Kingpin. First thing I noticed was the wide seat, again, a bit uncomfortable. However, seats can be changed. This bike looks good with bags and has a wider front tire, making it a likely candidate. However, when riding it, I felt like I was always hunting for the right gear. It never seemed to have the right amount of power and was difficult to find the sweet spot. This bike could use a tach! All that said, it's still in the running, as I think adding a tach and modding the seat would make for a nice ride.

Kingpin pic

Lastly, I rode the new Cross Roads. Wow, this bike was nice, but had it's drawbacks. The seat was very comfortable, something that I'll need since I'll be riding all day long, with stops for field calls. The bike felt a little wobbly in parking lot speeds as the front wheel just wanted to go everywhere, but it was very stable once on the road. I had a little trouble finding the shifter, as it was very long and I had to move my foot forward on the floor board to find it. Again, something that can be modified. I'm 5'7 and the top of the windshield was directly in my line of sight while sitting normally, so I had to either duck, or sit up tall. This was very annoying, so I would want to get a different windshield. The bike already has saddle bags on it and they have plenty of room. This bike also needs a tach.

Cross Roads pic

I was talking to other Victory owners and a few things came up. One guy had a Kingpin and was riding with his SO. She commented that she absolutely loved the seat on the CR, as the one on his KP made her ass go numb. The guy said he absolutely loves his KP for long distance riding and said he's "ruined" and will never buy another Harley. His KP has a tach on it, so he doesn't have the issue I had.

All in all, I think the Cross Roads will end up being the bike I get, with a couple mods. However, I want to take it out into the country on some dirt roads and see how it feels before I make that decision. I hope the dealer will let me do that.